26 WEEK PRESCHOOL PLAN WEEK BY WEEK
2ND
AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH WEEK CLICK HERE TO PRINT OUT THE WEEK'S PLAN
3RD
CLICK HERE
TO PRINT TO BOOKLIST THAT COORDINATES WITH EACH WEEKS LESSON
WEEKLY THEMES
CLICK ON WEEK NUMBER TO FIND THE PICTURE TO PRINT FOR THE THEME BOARD
Each week (lesson) you will introduce a new theme to your child. Introduce the theme by showing pictures of the specific theme, or pictures related to it. I have included links to sites with pictures and/or printouts. These pictures can be posted on a special poster you will create for your child. Click here for more information on this special poster.
In each lesson plan you will find suggested books to read, poems to recite, and songs to sing all based on the week's theme. You can choose to read a different book related to the theme each day, or choose to read the same book all week. Some children love repetition, others like variety. Decide what will work best for you. The same suggestion applies to the poem(s). Recite a different poem each day, or recite the same one all week.
When it comes to choosing the song to sing based on the theme, I recommend choosing only one. Repeat the same song each day, and by the end of the week you may find your child singing along with you. If this happens, you may want to tape record your child singing to keep as a special memory.
Also listed in the lesson plans are activities to develop both gross motor and fine motor skills.
Here is a summary of the weekly themes:
Week 26 - airplanes
WEEKLY VOCABULARY WORDS
CLICK ON THE WEEK # TO PRINT PICTURE FOR THE THEME BOARD
Young children are eager to learn new words. There is a vocabulary word associated with each theme. Post the vocabulary word on your learning poster. Include a drawing or picture that shows the meaning of the word. Discuss the word daily as you talk about the theme. Children will learn the meaning of the word when they hear you use it often.
Week 1 - calf - a calf is a baby cow.
Week 2 - vines - vines are plants with long, thin bendable stems; they grow along the ground or climb up trees, etc.
Week 3 - claws - claws are the sharp, curved nails on a kitten's paws.
Week 4 - iris - the iris is the colored part of your eye surrounding the pupil.
Week 5 - beacon - a beacon is a signal, a light to guide and warn.
Week 6 - prism - a prism can be made out of glass or other clear material in a solid, sometimes triangular, shape. When light passes through the prism it separates into the different colors of the spectrum/rainbow.
Week 7 - twinkle - to twinkle is to flash, sparkle or gleam.
Week 8 - ray - a beam of light.
Week 9 - dough - the dough is the (cookie) mixture before it has been cooked.
Week 10 - engine - an engine of a train is the train car that usually pulls all the other cars along the track.
Week 11 - full (moon) - the moon is full when it is round like a circle and all lit up. When something is full it is completely there.
Week 12 - duckling - a duckling is a baby duck.
Week 13 - gasoline - gasoline is a liquid substance that is used to fuel cars and trucks. You buy it at the gas station.
Week 14 - mane - the long hair growing on the neck of a horse.
Week 15 - downpour - during a downpour the rain is falling very fast and heavy.
Week 16 - antennae - the feelers on the head of the butterfly.
Week 17 - wool - the curly, soft, hair-like covering of a sheep.
Week 18 - noise - any sounds that we can hear, some sounds may be soft and others loud.
Week 19 - sail - the piece of cloth attached to a sailboat, that allows the boat to move when it catches the wind.
Week 20 - helium - a gas that when used to fill a balloon, allows the balloon to float up by itself.
Week 21 - gust - a sudden strong blast of wind.
Week 22 - autumn - explain that this is another name for the season we more commonly call fall.
Week 23 - flake - a flake is usually a thin, small, flat piece of something. Snow falls in flakes.
Week 24 - leash - a leash is a strap, rope, or chain used to lead an animal, such as a dog.
Week 25 - whiskers - the long hairs growing near the mouth of a rabbit.
Week 26 - contrail - the trail of condensation left behind the path of a jet airplane.
NURSERY RHYMES
CLICK ON THE NUMBER TO PRINT THE RHYME FOR THE THEME BOARD
Each week you will introduce a new nursery rhyme to your child. If you have been sharing nursery rhymes with your child from birth, they will already be familiar to him or her. At this age your child's vocabulary is increasing. You may find your child begin to repeat some of the words of the rhyme along with you. Offer praise and encouragement.
As a reminder for you, the parent/teacher, post the words of the rhyme on the learning poster. Don't worry, if you didn't know the nursery rhymes before, you will after you learn them with your child!
Learn to the sing the rhyme if possible and then sing or say the rhyme often through the day. Review the rhyme daily till the next week. You can sing the rhyme in the car, recite at meal times, etc.
When I find a great story book based on the nursery rhyme of the week, I will post the title and author in the appropriate lesson.
Here is a summary of the nursery rhymes for each week:
Week 1 - Hey Diddle Diddle
Week 2 - I Had a Little Nut Tree
Week 8 - Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Week 16 - Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Week 21 - The North Wind Doth Blow
Week 22 - Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
SHAPES/COLORS
Shapes
In this curriculum you will alternate between teaching a shape and a color each week. You will start with a shape. If possible, collect 3 - 5 everyday objects in the shape of the week. Talk about each object and the shape with your child. Walk around the house looking for more signs of this shape.
Using playdough or cookie dough, cut out the shape of the week. If you decide to use cookie dough, you can bake and eat some shape cookies!
Put a picture/cutout of the shape on the learning poster. Continue to remind your child of the shape throughout the week.
Colors
CLICK ON THE SHAPE TO FIND AN ACTIVITY AND ALSO A PAGE FOR THE THEME BOARD
The week after you teach a shape, you will be teaching a color. Teaching the colors can be fun. Many young children will already know their colors, but these activities will still be fun for them.
Show the color to be learned by coloring in the shape (from the previous week) on your learning poster in the color of the week. For example, in week 5 you teach the shape of an octagon. Color the octagon red for week 6.
Wear some article of clothing in the color you are learning, the day it is introduced. Point out the color in everyday objects. Add the color to your meals by eating a food that color, eating off a plate of the week's color, etc. Have your child use a crayon of the week's color when using their coloring books.
I will be writing poems and/or songs to go along with the colors and shapes that you can share with your child as you learn them. I will add them to the lesson plans as they are written.
Here is a summary of the shapes and colors each week:
Week 1 - square
NUMBERS
CLICK ON THE NUMBER TO FIND AN ACTIVITY AND TO PRINT THE NUMBER FOR THE THEME BOARD
Introduce the number for the week with the corresponding number of objects of your choice. You may wish to use snacks such as crackers, cheerios, etc. to eat and count at the same time. After you have counted the objects show your child the written symbol for the number. Put it on the learning poster.
Here are two activities you can do to teach the numbers:
First - create a counting book for your child. Prepare the book with a page for each number to be learned this year. Write one number at the top of each page. See the list of numbers below. As you learn a new number each week, allow your child to place the correct number of stickers on the page for that number.
Second - create a matching game for your child. Take 2 sets of 26 index cards. On the first set write the numbers to be learned. On the second set put the appropriate number of stickers for the same numbers. The first week you will show your child the number one card and the card with one sticker. As the weeks progress you can have your child match up the cards correctly. This may take time before your child can match them properly, but keep at it by keeping it fun and helping your child when needed.
A couple more ideas for teaching the number:
Draw the appropriate number of shapes (using the shape of the week) and then count the shapes. This will help to reinforce the shape you are teaching.
Walk around your home with your child and count objects up to the number you are learning.
Here is a summary of the numbers for each week:
CLICK ON THE WEEK NUMBER TO FIND AN ACTIVITY
AND
CLICK HERE FOR *more* NUMBER WORKSHEETS
Week 1 - 1
Week 2 - 2
Week 3 - 3
Week 4 - 4
Week 5 - 5
Week 6 - 6
Week 7 - 7
Week 8 - 8
Week 9 - 9
Week 10 - 10
Week 11 - 11
Week 12 - 12
Week 13 - 13
Week 14 - 14
Week 15 - 15
Week 16 - 16
Week 17 - 17
Week 18 - 18
Week 19 - 19
Week 20 - 20
Week 21 - 21
Week 22 - 22
Week 23 - 23
Week 24 - 24
Week 25 - 25
Week 26 - 100
LETTERS
CLICK ON THE LETTER TO FIND AN ACTIVITY SHEET AND ALSO PRINT FOR THEME BOARD
At this level we are going to work on teaching our children to recognize the letters. We will start with the capital letters. The lower case letters will be introduced in the Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum.
Introduce the letter with a printout of the week's capital letter your child can color. You can use the Letter coloring pages from the Preschool Coloring Book page. I will be adding my own printouts to the Brightly Beaming site in the future.
Post the new letter on your learning poster. You can also designate a wall space in your home to fill up with the letters as they are learned.
You can teach your child to trace the shape of the letter using their finger. You can trace in pudding, finger paint, a shallow tray (cookie sheet) filled with rice or beans, etc.
Point out the letter of the week in signs, on cereal boxes, and other places your child sees print. Review all letters learned often.
Here is a summary of the letters each week: CLICK ON A LETTER FOR LETTER PRINT-OUTS
Week 1 - A
Week 2 - B
Week 3 - C
Week 4 - D
Week 5 - E
Week 6 - F
Week 7 - G
Week 8 - H
Week 9 - I
Week 10 - J
Week 11 - K
Week 12 - L
Week 13 - M
Week 14 - N
Week 15 - O
Week 16 - P
Week 17 - Q
Week 18 - R
Week 19 - S
Week 20 - T
Week 21 - U
Week 22 - V
Week 23 - W
Week 24 - X
Week 25 - Y
Week 26 - Z
